Why should you consider becoming ‘AWS Developer Associate’ certified?

Organizations both large and small are looking to automating their day-to-day processes and the best option they consider is moving to the cloud. However, they also fear certain challenges that can make cloud adoption difficult. The biggest challenge is the lack of resources or expertise to understand how different cloud services function or how they are built, to leverage its advantages to the fullest.

Many developers use cloud computing services–either through the companies they work with or simply subscribe to it–without really knowing the intricacies. Their knowledge of how the internal processes work remains limited. Certifications, can, in fact, help you understand how cloud functions and what goes on within these gigantic data holders. To start with, enroll yourself into a basic certification by any of the popular cloud service providers. Once you know the basics, you can go ahead to master the other certifications available based on your job role or career aspirations.

Why choose an AWS certification

Amazon Web Services ( AWS) is considered one of the top cloud services providers in the cloud computing market currently. According to Gartner’s Magic Quadrant 2019, AWS continues to lead in public cloud adoption. AWS also offers eleven certifications that include foundational and specialty cloud computing topics. If you are a developer or a professional who wants to pursue a career in Cloud computing, you should consider taking the ‘AWS Certified Developer – Associate’ certification.

Many organizations use AWS services and being certified can open various options for improved learning. Along with being popular among companies, AWS includes a host of cloud service options compared to other cloud service providers. While having a hands-on experience holds great value for developers, getting certified by one of the most popular cloud services will only have greater advantages for their better future.

Starting with web developers, database admins, IoT or an AI developer, etc., AWS includes various certification options that delve into almost every aspect of technology. It is also constantly adding more offerings and innovating in a way that keeps one updated with cutting-edge technologies.

Getting an AWS certification is definitely a difficult task but you do not have to quit your current job for this one. Unlike other vendors, Amazon offers a realistic certification path that does not require highly specialized (and expensive) training to start. AWS certifications validate a candidate’s familiarity and knowledge of best practices in cloud architecture, management, and security.

Prerequisites for this certification

The AWS Developer Associate certification will help you enhance your skills impacting your career growth. However, one needs to keep certain prerequisites in mind. A developer should have:

Attended the AWS Essentials course or should have an equivalent experience

AWS Certified Developer Associate certification training will give you hands-on exposure to core AWS services through guided lectures, videos, labs and quizzes. You’ll get trained in compute and storage fundamentals, architecture and security best practices that are relevant to the AWS certified developer exam.

This associate-level course will help developers identify the appropriate AWS architecture and also learn to design, develop, and deploy optimum AWS cloud solutions. If one already has some existing knowledge of AWS, this course will help them identify and deploy secure procedures for optimal cloud deployment and maintenance.

Developers will also learn to develop and maintain applications written for Amazon S3, DynamoDB, SQS, SNS, SWS, AWS Elastic Beanstalk, and AWS CloudFormation.

After achieving this certification, you will be an asset to any organization. You can help them leverage best practices around advanced cloud-based solutions and migrate existing workloads to the cloud. This indirectly means a rise in your annual income and also career growth. However, getting certified alone is not enough, other factors such as skills, experience, geographic location, etc. are also important.

This certification will help you become competent in using Amazon’s cloud services. This course is a part of the first tier (Associate level) of certifications that AWS offers. You could further improve your cloud computing skills by taking up certifications from the professional tier and later from the specialty tiers, whatever suits you the best.

New AWS services and features are added every year. Certification alone is not enough, staying relevant is the key. To continually demonstrate expertise and knowledge of best practices for the most up to date AWS services, certification holders are required to re-certify every two years. You can either choose to take a professional-level exam for the same certification or pass the re-certification exam for your existing certification.

To further gain valuable insights on how to design, develop, and deploy cloud-based solutions using AWS and also get familiar with Identity and Access Management (IAM) along with Virtual private cloud (VPC), you can check out the book, AWS Certified Developer – Associate Guide – Second Edition by Vipul Tankariya and Bhavin Parmar.